June 26,2012

I don't think that anyone who knows me would ever have expected that I'd have taken so much to the bicycle, including me!  It's heading onto a year now, and I'm starting to reflect on that year (that'll actually wait until it is a year :).  Now I find myself doing little tweaks to the bike, like having the chain squeak a little yesterday so I stopped and cleaned and regreased the chain and gears.

I have been braving this horrible heat, but it has meant getting out early.  I about gave in and called my wife to come and get me on Sunday...it was just so hot!  I ended up planning the return route based upon how to get home the fastest, which did mean a major road with no bike lane...I was too hot to care about being on the sidewalk, which is where there was the little bit of shade I could find from tees in people's backyards.  I did end up going 24.46 miles by the time I finally made it home.  Monday's rides are shorter, just a bit over 12 miles as I go to both the nearby Walmarts.  Tuesdays, though, are nice long rides.

Today, I made it out a bit after 6am, and it was already 64F!  I made it to the Walmarts then headed up to Target, which wasn't open when I got there.  Instead of going and sitting to wait for it to open, I found myself more inclined to just bike around the store, making to laps before they opened their doors.  Of course, nothing I was looking for was there, either, so I got back on the bike and made my way back home.  I just didn't feel like dealing with traffic, so I got back on the path at its end then working my way back with more shade and some cool coming off the river the path follows.  It took me about two hours, but I did make it 27.94 miles before getting home as the temps were climbing.

One skill I know I need to work on is standing as I go up hills.  I find that I just shift the gears and stay seated, but I see cyclists powering up hills all the time.  I have decided I need to work on that, too.  I do it already to get going at stoplights or on the trail with the kids in the trailer, so I figured it was just a matter of doing it.  So I tried it today going up a steep hill on the road.  Okay, that hurt like my legs were on fire!  Obviously, it's going to take a few times to figure out which gear is best...I'm assuming it's stand up instead of shifting, but man, the tops of my legs were on fire!  I have to admit, avoiding the heat and traffic of the road was part of the decision to take the path to get home, but I also couldn't face some of hills required of the road route!  I guess it'll just take time to master this....

June 21, 2012

Well, I went on a short ride this morning, just up to Walmart.  It was really bugging me that the front derailleur isn't  working right...today I tested and theory and was correct that if I shift all the way up, the darn thing won't go to the smallest cog while down takes it onto the chain guard!  We really like the guy at Dick's from whom we bought my bike, but the guy that worked on it last leaves little to be desired.  He said it'd shift easier to the largest cog, but failed to mention the problem there or the lack of getting to the smallest one!  Well, I did dink with it and think I got it.  Or, I hope I did!  I had to loosen the bracket that holds the derailleur to the frame of the bike.  It took a bit of trial and error (one being not keeping the shifting cable taut and the derailleur above the teeth of the cog), but I think I have it.  I guess I'll find out tomorrow, though maybe I should take it quickly around the block tonight....

June 20, 2012

This summer's heat is certainly trying to dampen the bike riding!  It's a new experience to be out in the heat that hits so early.  I'm not big on being out when it's too hot, but it is easier to do than with the extreme cold. But to top it off, my second water bottle has started to leak and now wrapped in duct tape!
   Yesterday, I actually made it out and got in 25.5 miles.  I'm a bit disappointed that the winter weight isn't melting off like last summer.  My wife insists that I look fine and that it's from muscle-building, but it'd be nice if the scale were being as supportive!  In the meantime, I do feel better with getting back out again.  I've been trying to get out four of the five work days then at least one of the weekend days, though I do need that to be both days.  I did give myself today as a rest day to sleep in a little bit rather than jump on the bike.  

   Another fun offshoot of all the biking is the tan line.  I had it a bit last year on my legs and arms (with the farmer arm, I also have raccoon hands), but it's getting much worse this summer!  Of course, I've never had an athletic tan of any sort before (though plenty of farmer arm), so it's kind of like a badge of honor that I now have a rather odd looking tan that'll just keep getting worse!  Of course, I'm not alone--now that my wife is getting out on the bike, too, she's getting her own cyclist tan, so I guess she won't be mocking me much longer!
   On a technical note, I am struggling with my front derailleur.  I took it to Dick's because it was rubbing, and he adjusted it so now the chain goes onto the chain guard all the time.  I've tried to figure it out and dink with it a little bit, but I haven't had any luck.  I'd rather not have to take it back again, but I'm getting frustrated that every time I shift too hard, it slips off.  Thank goodness for the chain guard!  Now to just find a YouTube tutorial that actually makes sense....

June 12, 2012

I almost didn't go this morning, though...living in Colorado, we have a major fire burning north of here near Fort Collins, and when I opened the garage door this morning, what I thought was fog turned out to be a heavy layer of smoke from the fire....

Anyway, not even quite a year ago, I never would have expected to have my cyclo-computer (okay, this time last year, I didn't even know what that was) to hit 1000 miles!  Of course, the old bike was up to almost 500 miles (I started the new computer and bike at 0), but it's something very cool getting to see this one flip to 1000, and I just happened to be on the odometer by accident when it turned!

I'm trying to see if I can limit the amount of car usage this summer.  We'll see how it works out since during the day, I'd have to stick the kids into the trailer and bike them there with me.  But I can certainly do that, and it'd be better for me and lower my gas usage.  We'll see!

The whole family went out last night for a ride after I'd already gotten an 11-mile ride in the morning, so hit 23 miles while we were out!  It was a beautiful night, and I'm always impressed how friendly most of the people on the path are, whether biking, walking, jogging, or rollerblading!  I'm also surprised at how many people I see bent over a road bike and with their knees pointing outward because the bike's not adjusted right...if you're going to spend the time and money on a road bike then cruise through greenways, zooming past the rest of us who are being leisurely, you'd think the bike would fit!

June 1, 2012

With my wife off today, I had the chance to get out on the bike for a longer ride this morning, though I still ended up cutting it a bit short!  It started out a bit chilly but warmed up fast, so that made it a nice ride.  Probably the best part of it was that I took part of the old route I did for a chunk of last summer, and I was most of the way up a hill that about killed me last summer (as in having to stop part way up and chug water) before I noticed that I hadn't shifted at all but was making it up just fine!  It'd been since last year since I felt a huge leap or change in my ability to overcome a challenge on the bike, so it really made my ride today that I could do that!  Here's hoping for another good ride tomorrow!